Jackson DX7 7-String

Made in Japan
22 frets
Bookmatched flame maple top
Volume, tone, 3 way selector
Duncan designed humbuckers bridge and neck (replaced bridge)
string thru body
Brushed aluminum hardware, non locking tuners.

Purchased off ebay for $300 USD. Arrived in new condition. The brushed aluminum hardware looks great as does the flame maple top.
The stock Duncan Designed pickups are horrible! Not nearly hot enough or clear enough. Just mud. Had to swap out the bridge immediately with Dimarzio Evolution 7. However, if you're into metal I'd get something else (Duncan Distortion?). The Evolution is high output but too smooth.
I had a luthier set the guitar up and dress the frets. Only then did it become a good guitar.
I gigged for about 6 months with this guitar and ended up having to rewire the entire thing including replacing the input jack and volume pot.
After doing all this it is actually a really nice guitar considering the price.
I'm Canadian so $300 USD = about $400 CDN
$60 for the luthier
$100 for new pickup
=$560 CDN
That's about the best deal you're gonna find for a quality 7 string.
Also came with case!

The finish is beautiful. Bookmatched flame maple top. Best I've seen under $500.
Stock hardware looks great but stock electronics awful! Had to rewire entire thing within 6 months.
Aside from cheap parts, build quality excellent.

If you are willing to work on this guitar a bit it will become awesome. I use it extensively live and since tweaking it have not had any problems. Stock machine heads stay in tune even after crushing metal set!

Overall a great guitar for the price. However, it did require some work.
An excellent value for a mid range guitar. The perfect workhorse that you don't mind getting scraped up!

Overall rating "Out of the box" : 5
After all work done : 8

Jackson Dinky 7-string made in India in 2000.
Dark metallic red, solid colour finish.
1 volume, 1 tone, 1 3-way toggle selector switch.
2 Duncan Designed passive HB7 humbuckers.
Alder body / maple neck / rosewood fingerboard.
22 fret neck with sharkfin inlays and reverse headstock.
Tune-o-matic bridge with strings through body.
Unbranded non-locking tuners.

Good no-nonsense set of features. Hardware seems to be solid, and the reverse headstock looks great, but the pickups would look better with surrounds, and could themselves be hotter.

My main musical style when playing guitar live is classic rock / AOR, and whilst this guitar is fine for those styles, I end up playing it as a 6 string, which kinda defeats the point. However, I'm also bassist in a metalcore band, so have ended up playing a fair bit of more modern metal / metalcore on guitar, and this guitar really works!

I normally use the guitar through a Mesa/Boogie Rectoverb 50 mkII (50W single rectifier solo series 1x12 combo) and it sounds great. The slight lack of output from the stock pickups is compensated by the gain of the amp, and results in a fairly classic and rounded tone - maybe a little unresponsive at the top of the high B and E strings, but nothing you notice when the rest of the band is playing. It's not at all noisy, and believe me, I've had it well cranked!

This guitar sounds like it's well worth its money, and with hotter pickups, it could really stand out. I'm not prepared to put any more money into it right now, but maybe some time later I'll get a Duncan Distortion for the bridge. For now, though, it's fine as it is!

I have no idea how well this guitar was set up by Jackson as I bought it second-hand. The parts that I can comment on are the body and finish (which are fine for its age), the neck (which is great - Jacksons usually are), the frets (which seem mostly flush and properly filed), the controls (which are starting to need a bit of Super-10, but otherwise ok) and the bridge and tuners (which are keeping the thing in tune very well, and responded favourably to being tweaked when I set it up). In general, it's a well constructed axe, just like every other Jackson I've owned in the past.

The only slight fault came to light when I fitted pickup surrounds to the guitar to improve it aesthetically, and found that the pickup cavities are routed about 2mm further on one side than the other! However, that's no real reason to complain, since it was never meant to have pickup surrounds in the first place... I just think the pickups look odd being so far out of the body that you can see underneath them! Suit yourself on that count.

I know this particular guitar has been owned for 4 years by somebody who just uses his equipment and doesn't get too hung up on the odd scratch / dent. There are a few belt scratches in the back, but nothing's made it through the finish. He also played it for a while without the 7th string on it which screwed up the intonation, but that was easily sorted out.

The main test for this guitar was when the guy's brother dropped it, and in doing so chipped the nut, broke the tuner for the 7th string and put the classic cracks in the finish round each side of the neck joint. It survived, though, and with a bit of spare-part-surgery and epoxy putty, doesn't seem to be much worse off for its ordeal. Since I look after my equipment, I think that now I've repaired it, it'll last the course.

I never play live without backups, but I'd be happy enough to take this along as the only 7-string.

Never spoken to Jackson...

I did once order a King-V from them and ended up with a Kelly, but we never worked out if that was their warehouse, or the shop that screwed up the order.

I've been playing about 8 years, but this is the first 7-string I've bought. For #80, though, I couldn't really resist it!

I'm sure it came from the factory in much better condition than it came to me, but the fact that it's held up is a credit to it, and the relative ease with which I managed to repair it just goes to prove that it's a well built and reliable instrument.

I wish it came with ring-mounted pickups as standard, but that's personal taste and was easy enough to sort out irrespective. I also wish that the stock pickups were a bit hotter, but you can't have everything!

I love the fact that it doesn't have a floyd rose (again, personal taste, but I can't stand them) and the overall balance of the instrument, both in physical weight and also tone.

Overall, a great instrument!

Well, this is an update for my previous review, now that I've had the guitar for a year.

I'm beginning to notice a tendency of going out of tune *sharp* (higher pitch) on the 6th string (thick E) often, even with .011 set of strings (Yamaha).
Also, often the distortion mikes just die and you have to fiddle the volume knob from 0 to 10 for a while for it to work, which is pretty annoying and very bad sign for gigging. I've played the guitar mainly in my room jamming along to songs and every now and then at band training. The finish is still pretty much intact (save the plectrum dust between the pickups).

Still suits my style, but it's a little bit powerless now that I've got the hang of the guitar. Amp is still Peavey 65w, and the guitar is reasonably silent and does not tend to squeal at below 7 / 10 on the amp volume with gain at 6 / 10.
The sound is a little flat and palm mutes lack the final edge (they're a little weak).
It's still good for variety (from Jimi Hendrix to Emperor to Fear Factory and some Led Zeppelin).

It's still in good shape in this category :) Good job, Jackson

Due to the volume knob problem I mentioned above, I wouldn't use this for any extended or more professional level gigs. Should be fine for local gigs or school gigs and similar. The Fit is very nice and seems very sturdy, so that shouldn't be a problem.
I would depend on this guitar, but with a little reservations due to the volume knob.
The strap buttons are a little prone to coming off, but I fixed that by using two of those piping metal shields (round & flat metal things with a hole in the middle), they'll never come off anymore ;)

Haven't dealt with Jackson

I've been playing electric for the past 3,5 years and I also own an acoustic guitar which I bought this summer (Epiphone PR100-NA) and I've played acoustic for 6 years (with a small break). I use a Peavey 65w amp and I have Dunlop Cry Baby wah and soon Digitech Main Squeeze Compressor.
If this guitar was stolen, I would search for another guitar. I wouldn't buy this again, not to say that this is a poor guitar, but I think I would be better off with another guitar.
The volume knob problem is really bugging me, but otherwise this has been a nice second electric, obviously a better one compared to my first guitar (Yamaha EG-112U).
I didn't have the opportunity to compare to other guitars, since I read some very good reviews about this guitar and it fit perfectly for my price range, so I ordered the guitar.
Don't get me wrong, this would be a good second guitar for the next level guitar from the first guitar. But I guess I've outgrown this one, and I'll probably buy my next guitar in the 1000 euros' range (1100 $USD)

414 U$ dollars, new
2001, indian made.
22 frets, shark inlays, alder body, 1 vol 1 tone 3 position switch
H/H config HB7 duncan designed, pasive electronics, midnigth blue, strat style body, tune o matic 7 string bridge, jackson very good tuners.
25.5 scale 22 jumbo frets, no case no gig bag, etc
Its from india but the quality of this guitar its very impressive.
its very beatifull and versatile.
i miss very much the floyd rose but its the best select if you begin in the seven string world.

i play porgresive metal and this baby rocks very hard, the bridge mic needs more power i had a jackson fusion plus and it sounds more rich and powerfull, the dx7 needs a change of bridge mic.
it have a rich tone but not much power for my taste

the action its beatifull, the neck its very impressive.
i love the floyd, but this tunamatic its great and very heavy duty bridge
the quality its awesome

only need a change if mic (in the bridge)

its a panzer tank

--

i been palying from 10 years
if it were stolen i kill the fucking bastard
i compare with schecter c7 and the squier stagemaster 7 and this beauty its the best

Well, the features are described below, so I won't go into much detail about them. It's got all the features I need, except for tremolo-bar, but I haven't missed it much. Because of there's not much "dandy" features, it allows for a really nice price/quality ratio :)
Some would also miss a locking neck, but at least mine stays in tune REALLY well :) I have to retune in maybe once a week.

I play metal of all sorts (except for nu-"metal") and I think this baby suits for everything :)
Mellow blues type music, shredding speedmetal, metallica-type crunching and really technical metal.
I play it through Peavey Transtube Series Studio Pro 112, 65w and there's not a single thing wrong in the sound :) be it bedroom volume or band training volume, the tone is really bright and crunchy. I also like the clean tone a lot. The only thing I can complain about is the lack of tremolo bar, but that's just your money preference ;)

When the package arrived to the local store, I went to pick it up straight away. And to my surprise, the guitar was still in tune (!)
There's no bumps in the paintjob, and pickups were all ready to rock :)
The tone knob seems a little loose, so that I can turn it further than max, but there's nothing else wrong with the finish

I've already dropped it twice accidentally, but there's no marks whatsoever, I've already played it several times on full blast with my band. I think the build is very solid, and then paint doesn't seem like it could wear off. The strap buttons are a bit loose on the bottom of the guitar, but I just added a insulation ring there and it will never fall off :) I think this guitar will outlast me, unless it's run over by a truck. I would definately use this baby without a backup.

I don't think I'll ever have to contact the support.

I've been playing guitar since January 2000, and I also play keyboard and bass (when needed). I saw the review for this guitar in a round-up review of eight 7-string guitars, and I have no regrets for buying this guitar :)
If it was stolen, I would hunt down the ass of the poor fella who stole it and slam 'em around a bit with the guitar .. and there wouldn't even be a dent in the guitar :)
I really like both the distorted and clean tone of this guitar, and the unplugged tone is also really good. I only wish it had a tremolo-bar but that isn't a necessity for me. Overall a great deal :)
Go pick up one if you like blues/metal

2 Siemour Duncan pickups with a standard 3 position switch. Non-locking. The neck takes a bit getting used to, especially when playing while standing, but it I did get used to it. Even though it does not have "tons of features," it has everything I need. My PS-4 with features is a pain in the ass to get tuned--though is does stay tuned once you get it there.

The guitar sounds great when I use a standard 7-string tuning (B-E-A-D-G-B-E), but I tend to get fret/string buzz when I detune a full step a la Korn (A-D-G-C-F-A-D). Other than that, it seems to be quite versatile. My style ranges true blues-based jazz, progressive jazz-rock-fusion, to good-old rock & roll and old fashion R&B. The POD (Line6) makes it sound great.

The action is fabulous. I have another more expensive Jackson (PS-4) with the whole Floyd Rose locking deal--floating bridge and all, while this one is just a straight forward guitar. It plays better than the 6-string.

I don't play out any more, but it seems durable and dependable enough.

I have had no reason to use customer support.

The Jackson DX7 7-string is essentially the same guitar as the DR7 but made in India instead of Japan. In 2000 it was offered with the basic Black, Metallic Blue, or Metallic Red. For 2001 the guitar is offered with more finish options, including Transparent which shows off the guitar's beautiful Alder w/flamed maple verneer body(highly recommended for the additional $50). This is Jackson's first very affordable 7-string, retailing for a mere $499 or $549 for the transparent finishes. The DR7, which debuted in '98 or '99, lists for $895 solid $945 trans. I have played both guitars side by side and literally can't tell the difference in sound, feel, or build quality.

This is a basic 7-string guitar. There are no frills. It is rock solid, and tuning stays put well. I'd say features are average but the seventh string gives you a lot more freedom, so I bump it up a notch or two.

I think the sound is good but not bright enough. I practice with a VOX Cambridge Twin Reverb amp and a KORG AX-1G processor. I play blues and rock mostly. The humbuckers are not very noisy but don't have a lot of punch. On the positive side, the sustain is quite good. Overall I am pleased with the quality of the stock pickups but eventually will upgrade them.

Very, very good. Setup was damn near perfect. Fit and finish were excellent. Pickups were where they should be. Action was fine. Only complaint I had was a little low B string buzz but that was quickly remedied by a little polishing and a slightly smaller gauged string.

This is a solid guitar, my second Jackson. The other Jackson I own has survived four years of sheer torture. I will try to be nicer to this one, but am expecting that it will be equally as tough.

I got it at guitarxpress.com. The people I talked to there were extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that he told me the guitar had a lifetime warranty. The warranty card says differently: only one year. I've never dealt directly with Jackson so I don't know about them.

This is my sixth guitar. (Ibanez RG550, Fender Strat, a Kramer, an Aria Pro II (oohh!), and a Jackson JS20). I think I have found a favorite guitar company. I really like the shape of the Jackson Dinkys and the way they play. Ideally, I would have liked this guitar with two single coils and a humbucker; that's just my personal preference. To me though, the shape of the Jackson neck is better than any of my other guitars were. I never liked the 2-octave fretboards or locking tremelos or dive-bomb whammy bars. I like simple guitars that you can re-tune as simply as possible without reaching for allen wrenches and the like. This guitar fits the bill quite nicely.